Sure, most folks in Hollywood make more headlines for their mistakes than their good deeds. But these stars made the news this year for stepping off the red carpet and lending a hand to some pretty worthy causes. Click through to find the celebrities who gave back in 2011.
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$1 Billion Later, Jerry Lewis Hangs Up His Telethon Mic
It'd be hard to find a celeb who's done more during the course of their career for a single charity than comedian Jerry Lewis. His star-studded Labor Day telethons have raised more than $1 billion for the Muscular Dystrophy Association since 1966. 900 hours of fundraising later, the MDA announced this year that Lewis was retiring, and 2011's show featured Nigel Lythgoe, Nancy O'Dell, Alison Sweeney and Jann Carl sharing the hosting duties.
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Gaga in a Glowing Egg Raises $47.4 Million in One Night
The Mother Monster was joined by Martha Stewart, Sarah Jessica Parker, Gisele Bundchen, Seth Meyers, Naomi Watts and Liev Schrieber to help gather a whopping $47.4 million for the Robin Hood Foundation, one of New York City's leading poverty-fighting organizations. A portion of the proceeds from the gala will be used to help vets struggling with poverty, specifically The Robin Hood Foundation will work with a coalition of federal, state, and local agencies to help impoverished New York City vets, reservists, national guardsman and their families ease their transition from active military to the workforce.
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Princess Beatrice's Infamous Hat Earns Big Bucks
It was the third-most-talked-about article of clothing at the Royal Wedding of William and Kate, right behind the bride's dress and her sister Pippa's derriere-hugging ensemble. But while Princess Beatrice's "toilet seat" chapeau may not have won style points among the masses, it had enough fans to garner $131,000 for charity when it was put up for auction on eBay. And in case you're confused by which awful hat we're referring to above (we know: they're both bad) Princess B is on the right.
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Animal Activists Catch Bieber Fever
How much would you pay for a clutch of pop sensation Justin Bieber's luscious locks? Well, one animal lover forked over more than $40,000 for some of the freshly-shorn hair. The Bieber surprised talk show host Ellen Degeneres with a jar of his hair and told her she could donate it to the charity of her choice. Ellen's pick: The Gentle Barn, a charity that rescues and rehabilitates abused and neglected farm animals.
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Bon Jovi Opens Pay-What-You-Can Restaurant
For anyone who's living on a prayer—or looking to give love a good name—rocker Jon Bon Jovi gave them a new opportunity this year at his new Red Bank, New Jersey, eatery: Soul Kitchen. Patrons pay what they can afford and volunteers help run the restaurant.
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Garth Brooks Raises $5 Million for Nashville Flood Victims
After floods devastated Music City, the country music legend performed nine sold-out shows to aid Nashville flood victims. The total haul? $5 million.
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Miss Congeniality Speeds $1 Million to Japan
In the wake of the devastating triple earthquake-tsunami-nuclear meltdown disaster that ravaged Japan in March, The Oscar-winning Blind Side actress didn't turn a blind eye: Sandra Bullock donated $1 million to the Red Cross' relief efforts.
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Brangelina Leaves a $2 Million Tip
After spending Christmas with their six children at a lodge on the grounds of a Namibian wildlife sanctuary, Hollywood super couple Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie donated $2 million to the Naankuse Lodge and Wildlife Sanctuary through the Jolie-Pitt Foundation in the name of the couple's daughter Shiloh, who was born in Namibia.
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Gaga's Mad Dash for Japan Cash
Sandra Bullock wasn't the only one to step up and help Japan in its time of need: the Mother Monster used her massive Twitter following to raise more than $250,000 in two days by enticing her Little Monsters to buy a "We Pray for Japan" bracelet she designed.
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Lisa Lampanelli Smacks Gay Haters With Her Checkbook
She may be known as the "Queen of Mean," but comedienne Lisa Lampanelli earned lots of kudos when she used her hefty pocketbook to lay the smack down on the infamous gay-hating traveling road show that is the Westboro Baptist Church. When the the folks at Westboro let it be known that they would be taking their "God Hates Fags" signs to Lampanelli's Topeka show, she decided to turn the tables on the Westboro clan—who are notorious for picketing the funerals of dead soldiers—by donating $1,000 to Gay Men's Health Crisis in honor of each church member who turned up. When 48 Westboro members showed up, Lampanelli decided to make her donation an even 50k.
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Sherri Shepherd Asks Wedding Guests to Help Homeless Vets
We always get a little nervous when we hear that one of the cohosts of the morning gabfest The View is talking about her wedding gifts, mainly because the last time the topic arose, it was because former host Star Jones was hustling sponsors for swag. But this time around, Sherri Shepherd let it be known she was out to single-handedly restore the ladies' good name and reputation. The hostess announced that for her nuptials, in lieu of gifts, she'd like her wedding guests to make a donation to San Diego-based EMBRACE, which helps homeless veterans and civilians.
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Maroon 5 Proves the Show Must Go On
When a massive wind storm caused a horrific and deadly stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair, Maroon 5 and Train, scheduled to play the fair, honored their dates in Indy with a change in venue and donated the proceeds from their concert to the memorial fund set up to benefit the families of the five people who died.
